The present invention relates to a wheel well cover for a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle which is equipped with such a wheel well cover.
DE 10 2008 046 314 A1 discloses a wheel well cover for a motor vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body with at least one wheel well for receiving a wheel. It is possible for the wheel well cover, which has at least one segment, to be adjusted by way of an adjusting device in a manner which is dependent on the wheel angle. A detailed illustration of an apparatus which makes the adjustment in a wheel angle-dependent manner possible cannot be gathered from this prior art document.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
This and other objects are achieved by way of a wheel well cover for a motor vehicle which comprises a vehicle body, which wheel well cover can be adjusted by an adjusting device in a manner which is dependent on the wheel angle. The wheel well cover has at least two ring sections which surround part of the wheel and which are arranged such that they can be moved at least partially into one another and at least partially relative to one another.
In this way, a continuous wheel well cover, which can be adjusted in a manner which is dependent on the wheel angle and has a simple construction, is provided in an advantageous way. Moreover, the wheel well cover can be adapted in a simple way to the geometry of a wheel well by way of a corresponding configuration of the shape, the size and/or the number of ring sections. It is to be noted in this context that a ring section can be configured substantially as a circular ring or else can also have another geometry, said ring section not making contact with the ground, on which a motor vehicle which is equipped correspondingly is situated. As a consequence, the circular ring is not closed completely.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the ring sections extend in the lateral direction substantially in the wheel transverse direction. As a result, the required structural volume for a wheel well cover is advantageously reduced, in particular in the case of straight ahead driving of a motor vehicle which is equipped accordingly.
In each case two adjacent ring sections are advantageously connected to one another by way of a connecting device, since no separate actuation of all the individual ring sections is required as a result. In particular, it is possible as a result to connect adjacent ring sections in series to one another in a simple way.
In accordance with one particularly preferred embodiment, the connecting means has at least one spring, with the result that tolerance compensation between individual ring sections is provided in a simple way. Moreover, the vibration behavior of the wheel well cover can be influenced in a positive way by way of the selection of suitable springs. It is thus possible, in particular, to configure a spring as a compression spring, a torsion spring or a tension spring, in order to reduce or even to completely avoid an undesired acoustically and/or visually perceptible vibration of the wheel well cover overall or of the individual constituent parts thereof.
Particularly simple and secure guiding of a ring section is achieved if the ring section is mounted on at least one guide.
In a particularly advantageous way, the guide can include a guide rail which is fastened to the vehicle body and on which the ring section is mounted displaceably.
The stability of the wheel well cover according to the invention is improved further in an advantageous way if a first guide is situated in the wheel front region and a second guide is situated in the wheel rear region. As viewed in the main driving direction of the motor vehicle, the wheel front region itself is situated in front of the wheel, whereas the wheel rear region is situated behind the wheel.
In order to improve the aesthetic appearance of the wheel well cover according to the invention and/or its aerodynamic properties, in particular with regard to a reduction of the air resistance of the wheel well cover, it can be provided that the wheel well cover comprises a wheel spat which extends on the vehicle body outer side.
Both the visual integrity of the wheel well cover and the wheel spat and the aerodynamic properties of the wheel well cover according to the invention are improved further if said wheel well cover is connected at least in sections to at least one ring section.
This applies all the more so if the wheel spat is mounted on the guide and/or is fastened to a wheel support.
The air resistance of the wheel well cover according to the invention is reduced further in an advantageous way if the wheel spat has an aerodynamic structure which reduces the air resistance, in particular an air duct. In a particularly preferable way, the air duct extends in the wheel spat substantially in the vertical direction, with the result that the area, through which flow passes, and therefore the volumetric flow which is conveyed through the air duct are increased in a manner which reduces the air resistance.
For the purpose of assistance of the movement of the wheel well cover, it is provided in accordance with one advantageous refinement of the invention that the wheel well cover is operatively connected to at least one actuator. The actuator can particularly advantageously comprise a slotted guide which is operatively connected to the guide rail. Moreover, a prestressing device can advantageously be provided, which prestressing device is operatively connected to the guide rail and/or the slotted guide and a ring section. In a particularly advantageous way, the operative connection which was mentioned last consists of fixing of the damping means on the ring section which lies closest to it and for its part is the innermost ring section of all the ring sections as viewed in the vehicle transverse direction.
In an advantageous way, the actuator has a bracket which is connected at one end on the wheel support and at the other end to a ring section; as a result, a particularly simple and reliable mechanical embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is provided.
In a particularly advantageous way, a wheel well shell can be provided on the wheel well cover between the wheel and at least one portion of the ring sections. As a result, the aerodynamics of the wheel well cover and therefore of a motor vehicle which is equipped with it are improved further. Moreover, the wheel well cover serves as a dirt intercepting structure, with the result that dirt which is whirled up by the wheel cannot adhere to the ring sections. As a result, the functionality of the wheel well cover according to the invention is improved further, in particular in the case of winter road conditions.
In an advantageous way, the wheel well cover, in particular at least one ring section and/or the wheel spat, can be configured from metal, in particular from steel, aluminum or a corresponding alloy, from plastic and/or from a fiber composite material which can comprise, in particular, glass fibers and/or carbon fibers. As a result, firstly the necessary mechanical requirements of the wheel well cover can be fulfilled; secondly, said materials or material mixes permit a high amount of design freedom. It is thus possible in an advantageous way, in particular, to adapt one, a plurality of (or all) ring sections of the wheel well cover according to the invention completely or partially to the vehicle body in a desired way in a visual manner, in particular in terms of color or with regard to the texture of visible surfaces.
The abovementioned object is likewise achieved by way of a motor vehicle having the features of the previously disclosed wheel well cover. The corresponding advantages apply appropriately.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a detailed, non-prejudicial, in particular non-restrictive description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is given in the following text. Identical elements are provided with identical designations unless otherwise stated.